Member focus: Kim Padmore, people2people

"I actually started in the Sydney office for about three years,” Kim Padmore says of her first experience with people2people back in 2012 as a Legal recruiter. “Then I left to do the whole London thing.”

The director of people2people’s Perth office started her career in recruitment in 2010 here in Perth, eventually moving to Sydney for three years to work with people2people in their legal support division. After moving to London (thanks to her British passport) she continued to recruit legal support staff with large and boutique law firms. It was also in London that Kim experienced her first coworking space. “I was actually interviewed in one,” Kim recalls. “So I was really surprised when I found out Perth had a coworking space.”

It was Kim’s entrepreneurial drive however that inspired her to reach out to the Managing Partner of people2people about possibly bringing the brand to the West Coast. “I pitched the idea first,” Kim says. "I was still in London when I called and said 'I’m moving home! Any chance you want to expand West and open an office in Perth?'. Our Managing Partner was saying while we don’t have a big team yet, why don’t we start in a shared space to start.”

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“I started working from home,” she says. “We were testing the market, making sure there was a market for us. Working from home was challenging. It’s really hard doing business development and generating leads on your own even if you’re very motivated. It’s nice to have others in the office and have that environment.”

people2people have about 100 staff across Australia, with office in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland. “We have dedicated people who specialise in their fields including accounting and finance, legal, marketing, supply chains and operations.” Since opening its Perth branch, the team has now grown to three staff. Her aim for the branch is to begin building upon those specialisations that Perth’s market are in the need for. “We have placed a number of candidates into new opportunities and helped businesses in Perth grow their teams," Kim reflects on her time here. "We have received such a warm welcome into Perth and the feedback we have received has all been extremely positive in our dealings with both candidates and employers.” 

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Discussing the process for finding the right space, Kim mentions various locations she and her Managing Partner had to find the perfect place. “My partner works with someone who used to work from [Riff],” Kim says. “So we came up to the fourth floor and said ‘This is it’.”

When asked about making important phone calls at her dedicated desk in Riff’s fourth floor, she doesn't see it as an issue. "I thought it was going to be to be honest, especially with all these confidential discussions about salaries," she begins. "But everyone’s really just doing their own thing.”

“I always speak about the office when I go and meet with clients,” she says. “Candidates love it. I interview just at the booths by the entrance, it’s a bit more relaxed and it puts people at ease. If the roles are for more senior roles, the meeting rooms are best.”

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“We do a lot of videos, we’re on social media, we do blogs…to go into an office with dark wood old-school desks and chesterfields doesn’t represent our brand,” Kim says of the look of Riff’s space. “You get a lot more out of people when you’re in this environment.”

Kim and her team have also helped other businesses within Riff. MateInOz helps international students integrate into Perth and helps with career advice,” Kim says. “We’ve assisted by providing given him templates for resumes, how the students should present themselves at interviews, and we’ve also partnered with MateInOz for a video on our blog to explain how students can find work.”

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